Bartering for Services Could Make a Covid Comeback!

Amidst the chaos of the Covid-19 crisis, there has been some true creativity taking place! I have been asked to participate in several podcasts and videos regarding stress management, effectively working from home, and how to thrive during this pandemic. What strikes me as amazing are the people emerging from the woodwork and crushing this time as an opportunity to grow their personal brands. They are capitalizing on their skills and talents in order to help others who need motivation, a career boot, or a financial fix that will tie them over while they find their next job. Two weeks ago, I spoke to a woman who laughingly suggested we barter for services. Fireworks went off in my head…this is brilliant! Now, don’t misunderstand me, I am fully aware that a society needs cold hard cash to sustain itself, but there’s nothing wrong with a little bartering and exchanging of services. I’m going to share some ideas of how you can barter for services, save your money, and come together as a community.

Bartering goes back to 6000 B.C. with the Mesopotamian tribes. (Today, lawyers utilize bartering in contracts and refer to it as “consideration”.)  2020 is a long way from Mesopotamia, and in Western civilization, we really don’t barter as a culture, so how do we do this? Well, glad you asked. Here’s a perfect example of bartering: I saw a sign stapled to a tree the other day that said, “house painting for your old car.” I chuckled and thought, this person is thinking outside of the box. I like it. More importantly…he just might get the car! It got me thinking about all the other services that could be swapped or exchanged and how we could let those in our community know we are available for hire. Then I thought about Poshmark, Facebook, Instagram, and a whole host of other social media resources at everyone’s disposal these days and voila…these “bartering businesses” have just gained instant advertising! 

For the past two years, I have purchased almost all of my shoes on Poshmark.  Do you know why? Because they are high quality luxury items that I really can’t afford with four college-aged students on my current family budget.  My last pair of Poshmark pumps were a two tone, chocolate and tan, buttery soft, Italian leather pump that retailed for $150.00… I know because the tags were still on and they were never worn. Incidentally, I paid under forty dollars for them! The point is this–they wanted to sell, and I wanted to buy. Okay, that’s all you need to know about Marketing 101. We all use social media to post pictures, sound bites, and snippets from our lives in hopes of attracting more likes and followers. Can you imagine if we reached out to those same people and offered a service exchange during this Covid-19 quarantine?

Let me help to get your creative juices flowing by giving you a few examples of bartering within your community. For example, think about small businesses and sole proprietors helping each other out…perhaps a website developer helps a landscaper enhance his online presence in return for having his shrubs shaped and his lawn cut. What about a lawyer giving advice in return for having his taxes performed by a certified accountant? Many of you reading this may think, “I don’t have a service to swap…this won’t work for me.” Wait! Maybe you want to exchange your cooking ability for having your home cleaned. Maybe you can tutor someone’s child in return for a haircut and color. Maybe offer to be the photographer at someone’s wedding in exchange for having your nails done this month.

There are three things that I find really attractive about the idea of bartering: first, social media can become a community vehicle for helping our neighbors. Just knowing your neighbor is in need of something that you can offer should make us happy and eager to give. Secondly, I love the idea of giving in exchange for getting. Everybody feels good receiving and thus leaves with their ego intact. There is in no “hand out” going on here. Thirdly, the blessing in all of this bartering may be the gift of self-knowledge.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we emerged from this quarantine with a new or renewed depth of understanding about our own self-worth? Perhaps, it will be a launching pad for a new business idea. Happy bartering, neighbor!